Becoming a client is easy and confidential.  To schedule a first appointment or ask questions about our counseling services, call us at (847) 432-4981, x200 (or x201 for Spanish).

When leaving a message, please provide your name, phone number(s), the best times to reach you, and a brief description of your counseling needs. Our staff will usually get back to you within 24 hours and will discuss your counseling and scheduling needs so that we can match you with one of our therapists.

Before you meet with your therapist, you will need to fill out some paperwork. Please plan to arrive 15 minutes prior to your appointment time to review and complete our new client forms.

If you prefer, you can download and print the new client forms at home.  Filling out the forms before you arrive at our office will save time at your first appointment. Please remember to bring your insurance card, if you have one. 

Once the paperwork is complete, your therapist will greet you in our waiting room at your scheduled appointment time and show you to her office. Your therapist will ask you about the concerns that have brought you to counseling. This first session is really a time to talk about your needs and how counseling can address them. Typically you will schedule your second session with your therapist toward the end of your first appointment.

A counseling session lasts between 45 to 55 minutes, depending on your needs. You can expect to be in our office for about 75 minutes if you plan to complete the paperwork in our waiting room.

We require that you contact your therapist 24 hours in advance if you need to cancel or reschedule an appointment.

You will be charged for missed appointments or late cancellations. For insured and full-fee clients, the missed session or late cancellation charge is $70. Clients whose services are on the sliding fee scale will be charged $70 or their sliding scale fee, whichever is less. Your therapist may choose to make an exception to this policy, depending on the specific situation.

The duration of treatment depends on the nature of the issues to be addressed and your individual needs and preferences. Your therapist will work with you to provide the right number of sessions to address your personal goals.

Family Service of Lake County therapists are not licensed to prescribe medication. When medication could be helpful in addressing your symptoms and issues, our therapists will provide referrals to psychiatrists (medical doctors) who can prescribe appropriate medications.

We respect client confidentiality and adhere to current Illinois and federal law regarding privacy and confidentiality. For more detailed information, please review our Privacy Policy.

Your therapist will coordinate your care with other healthcare providers, schools, or the courts if you give specific permission. We will communicate with these professionals only if you give us your consent to do so.

With your permission, we will verify your insurance benefits and obtain pre-authorizations as needed. Only minimally necessary protected health information will be disclosed to process your claims. We will ask you for written permission to disclose this information to your insurance carriers.

Mental health information is considered highly confidential and requires a court order before we will disclose client information.

We provide counseling services at our main office at 777 Central Avenue, Suite 17, in Highland Park.

For seniors and family caregiver clients, we also offer in-home counseling services throughout Lake County. 

Lake Forest students have the option of holding counseling sessions at CROYA, 400 Hastings Road in Lake Forest.

Family Service of Lake County was founded on the belief that everyone should have access to professional counseling services, regardless of ability to pay. To help our clients with demonstrated financial need, we offer a sliding fee scale (or subsidized fee program) determined by household income and family size. To learn more about our sliding fee scale and to determine whether you qualify, please contact us at (847) 432-4981, x200 (or x201 for Spanish).

Our reduced fee program is funded by grants, donations, and other support from corporate donors, foundations, government funders, and individuals. Each year we are able to provide financial assistance to hundreds of people who are uninsured or underinsured and unable to afford the cost of counseling services. Our lowest sliding scale fee is just $15 per counseling session; occasionally we are able to offer even more assistance to those with extreme financial challenges.

Our offices are open Monday through Friday during business hours, and several evenings. Let us know when you are available and we will make every effort to accommodate you.

Our staff will respond to your request for counseling within 24 hours, Monday through Friday. Often we can schedule your first appointment within several business days of your call, depending on your availability. If your schedule is flexible, it will help us set up your appointment in a timely fashion.